


From Eden

by kara-danvers-lena-luthor (Mesk)



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Foster Parent, Slow Burn, mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-12 10:36:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9067987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mesk/pseuds/kara-danvers-lena-luthor
Summary: Inspired by Hozier's music video From Eden and based on my plot whishlist. It was slightly modified, and it took an unexpected turn while I was writing it, but I hope you enjoy it.
Lena hires a black-ops team to take down one of Lex’s old partners and when they bust into the person’s house they find the child and bring them back to Lena. Without any living relatives, Lena can’t bring herself to let the kid go into the system, and she decides to be their foster mom. But she starts second-guessing herself, thinking that because of Lillian’s influence she doesn’t know how to be a good mom, so she asks Kara and Supergirl for help so she can do right by the kid.





	1. Babe, there’s something wretched about this

**Author's Note:**

> Please, leave comments and kudos if you like :D
> 
> All mistakes are mine.

It had been an exhausting couple of months for Lena. After her mother had been arrested, Lena hired the best private detectives money could buy to look into her mother and into CADMUS. It took about six months, but finally one PI had come across a lead to find one of CADMUS’s top scientists, Professor Ivo. 

Known for his work with robotics, Professor Ivo represented a real threat to Superman and Supergirl; with his expertise coupled with Lex’s deep knowledge of the Man of Steel’s strengths and weaknesses, Lena hadn’t given it a second thought as to whether she should contact Supergirl about it or not. 

The hero in turn, had brought the DEO in on the issue which turned the whole thing into something even bigger. 

Supergirl and the agents had reassured Lena they would handle everything, and she didn’t doubt them per se… But still, she found herself staring out the window in her office, just waiting for a phone call or for Supergirl to drop by. 

It wasn’t until past midnight that Lena spotted a red and blue figure in the sky slowly approaching her building. “What is she-“ Lena wondered out loud, noticing the hero was carrying something in her arms. 

"Supergirl, how did it go? Why did it take so long?” Lena greeted the superhero at her balcony, but she was quickly shushed by Supergirl placing a finger to her own lips. 

“Things got a little…complicated….” Supergirl whispered and pulled the blanket to reveal what she was carrying. 

"What’s that?” Lena gasped quietly, then shook her head and clarified, “I mean, I can see it’s a boy, but why do you have him??” 

The child, who was no older than six, was fast asleep on the hero’s arms. He seemed a little small for his age, and his long and curly red hair covered most of his face. 

Kara spoke softly, almost in a whisper as she started making her way inside Lena’s office, “We broke into Ivo’s hideout. It was a big warehouse with robots all around, and they fought way harder than I thought possible…even harder than Red Tornado. But the DEO was prepared, and with their help all the robots were destroyed. 

"After that the agents started collecting all the data they could find while I snooped around a little.” Kara gently placed the boy on the couch and kept going, “My super-hearing picked up faint cries, and when I found the source it was this little guy.” The hero sighed, looking at the boy worriedly. “He still hasn’t said a word, but he let Alex run some tests on him, and we’re waiting on the results… I don’t know what Ivo was doing to him, Lena.” 

The CEO was shocked. She knew how dangerous Ivo is, but she never thought he would be mad enough to kidnap a child! “Is he…Is he healthy?” Lena asked, hearing her voice break slightly. 

"As far as my x-ray vision can see, yes.” Supergirl nodded, gently taking Lena’s arm and guiding her a little bit further away from the child so they could speak normally. “We saw some needle marks on his arms and on the back of his neck, but other than that and well…being held captive, he seems healthy enough.” 

Lena sighed in relief at that, but still a shiver ran down her spine as a thousand bad scenarios filled her mind; there were countless possibilities as to what Ivo was experimenting on the kid. 

"What about his family? There must be someone looking for him.” She said, looking back at the boy. 

"That’s kinda why I’m here…” Supergirl said, smiling uncertainly at the CEO. “A DNA test showed he’s…” 

Lena frowned when the hero trailed off, she could tell it was something important. “He’s what?” 

"There’s no easy way of saying this…” Supergirl sighed. “He has the same DNA as Lex, Lena… We think that’s Lex’s clone.” Lena gasped, her eyes widening, and she had to take a step back. “H-How is this possible?” she wondered out loud, her eyes moving fast from side to side as her mind tried to process what was going on. “Why would Lex do this?” 

"The DEO has two theories,” Supergirl said meekly, knowing it wouldn’t be easy to hear what she had to say, “either Lex wanted an heir to eventually take over the family business, or he wanted a clone to…” Kara bit her lip, and pushed down a wave of sickness that threatened to make her throw up. “…Or maybe he wanted a clone in case he ever got sick and needed any organ transplant…” 

Lena closed her eyes and turned her back to Supergirl. She massaged her temples, taking deep breaths. She couldn’t even get angry at the hero for thinking that about her brother, unfortunately Lena knew what Lex was capable of. 

"We think Ivo took him after Lillian was arrested, but we don’t know why he kept the boy in such dismal conditions, or why he was experimenting on him…” 

Swallowing her anger and her nausea, Lena turned back around to face Supergirl, “I might be able to shed some light on that…” The CEO said, letting her pragmatic mind take over, pushing her emotions aside for a second. “My PI told me Ivo was terrified of death… My best guess is that he was experimenting to figure out how Lex cloned himself, and if Ivo’s field of work is any indication, he was also probably trying to figure out if there was a way of transferring a person’s entire memory into a new brain… to make a backup of one’s conscience, in case something went wrong…” 

Supergirl fidgeted with her fingers, nodding at Lena’s words. “I’ll let the DEO know that’s a possibility.” 

They looked back at the boy, both lost in their own thoughts. 

After a few seconds, Lena spoke again, “What am I supposed to do with him?” She didn’t seem to be upset, just…lost. 

“Well, I would take him in…” Kara smiled, still fidgeting with her fingers, “but children aren’t good at keeping secrets…I couldn’t take him to my house. Agent Danvers and Director Henshaw are always on call… And you-“ 

“I’m technically his family.” Lena cut in, understanding where Supergirl was getting at. “You want me to take care of him.” 

“I could take him back to the DEO, but-” 

“No.” Lena sighed, shaking her head. “He’s been alone and treated like a science experiment for too long. No one deserves that.” Lena said, biting her lip and frowning. 

Kara stepped closer to Lena, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll be here if you need any help. I’m kinda good with kids…” she said with a little sheepish smile, trying to make light of the situation. 

Lena gave the hero a small smile, “Thank you… I’ll definitely need help.” 

The hero flew the boy to Lena’s house while the CEO was driven there. Lena opened the balcony door to let Supergirl in. 

“Should… Should I let him sleep in the guest bedroom? He might be scared if he wakes up next to a stranger, right?” Lena asked, frowning at the thought of the boy having a panic attack the following morning. 

“Well…” Kara frowned too, taking Lena’s question seriously. “I think he might feel safe waking up next to you. He’s very sweet, I don’t think he’s going to react badly.”

Lena nodded, “Okay… Could you take him to my room, please?” When Supergirl nodded, Lena started leading the way. Kara gently tucked the boy in, and turned to Lena. 

“We’ll probably need to talk to him tomorrow, but I could come by before the DEO agents do?” She offered tentatively. Lena quickly nodded, a gleam of something close to desperation showing in her eyes. 

“Yes, please… I’m usually good with kids, but the fact that he’s Lex’s clone…” Lena shook her head, “It’d just…be nice to have someone here with me.” 

Kara smiled warmly at Lena. “I’ll be here.” The hero said her goodbyes, and flew away. 

Being left alone with the child, Lena sat on the edge of the bed and just observed him for a while. She wonder how that could be happening to her, how she found herself being responsible for taking care and potentially having to raise a clone of her evil-genius brother. 

“He is just a child.” Lena assured herself, “He’s not Lex…yet.” And suddenly, a burning sense of responsibility lit up inside her; she was going to make sure this kid would have as much of a normal childhood as possible, free of the kind of judgement and cold shoulder she got from Lillian, free of the overly-demanding gaze she got from Lionel, and most importantly, she would make sure this kid would never be afraid of her turning on him. She changed into her pajamas and got in bed, laying next to the boy. “You’re going to be happy, okay? You’re safe with me.” Lena whispered, gently brushing a strand of his hair away from his face.


	2. Honey, you're familiar like my mirror years ago

The next morning Lena started to stir awake when she felt something poking her cheek lightly but repeatedly. She frowned, opening her eyes in a haste. For a second she had been confused, wondering why this strange child was in her bed, but suddenly it clicked, and she sat up way too quickly, making the kid laugh.

“Hi!” Lena said, unable to contain her smile at the sound of his laughter. “D-Did you sleep well?”

The boy nodded emphatically. 

“Good.” Lena said still smiling. “Could you tell me your name?” she asked softly.

The child looked serious for a second, and then he shook his head.

“Mm…” Lena tilted her head to the side, wondering why he wouldn't tell her his name; it wasn't like he was refusing to communicate, it just seemed like he didn't want to or didn't know how to talk. “Can…can you speak?” She smiled and added, “Can make sounds like this?” And Lena started howling like a wolf, making the boy laugh again.

He nodded his head, howling just like she had done. “Good!” She said, clapping her hands, and sitting a little straighter. “Can you say hi?”

The boy bit his lip, and he spoke slowly and shyly, “H-Hi.”

“Awesome!” Lena was grinning at this point. “Now, can you say my name? My name is Lena.” She said, offering her hand for him to take.  
He looked at her hand, and slowly reached out to take it with a meek grip. “Hi, Lena.”

“Hi.” She smiled softly. “What’s your name?”

The boy shook his head again and shrugged his shoulders.

Frowning, Lena asked, “Do you have a name?” 

Once again the child shook his head. It broke Lena’s heart to know this kid had been under Lillian’s care for most of his life, and even though he was a clone of her precious son, she still hadn't bothered to name him. 

“You know,” she said in that special tone that usually got children itching with curiosity, “you remind me a lot of my brother. His name is Alexander, but people call him Lex.” She made a funny face to keep the boy engaged, and she continued, “But I’ve always liked to play with words, to rearrange letters to form new words, and you know what super cool name we could form taking a few letters from the name Alexander?” The boy, who had been listening attentively, shook his head. “Axel!” Lena raised an eyebrow and grinned at him, “Would you like to be called Axel?”

The kid nodded enthusiastically, and offered his hand to Lena. “Hi, Lena,” he said once she had taken his hand, “my name is Axel.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Axel.” Lena grinned, feeling incredibly relieved that this first encounter was going so well. “Are you hungry? Would you like to have some breakfast?”

The boy nodded again, jumping out of bed. “I guess that’s a yes.” Lena chuckled, getting out of bed as well.

She put on a silk robe, and took the boy’s hand, leading him through the mansion.

When they walked into the kitchen they found Supergirl seated at the table, eating a pile of pancakes.

“Hi!” Supergirl greeted them after swallowing a mouthful of food and washing it down with a gulp of milk.

“Good morning, Miss Luthor.” Rosa, one of Lena’s housemaids greeted her. “Supergirl was knocking on the balcony door so I let her in.” It was clear that the woman was more than excited to be in the presence of the superhero, and Kara was smiling brightly in return.

“You did well, Rosa. Thank you.” Lena chuckled at the thought of the hero just floating by the balcony door, knocking on the glass until someone let her in.

“I really love Supergirl, Miss Luthor.” Rosa grinned, going over to Kara and giving her a sideway hug. “She saved my daughter once, you know? So I told the cook to prepare her favorite breakfast, pancakes and waffles.”

Lena shook her head slightly, finding highly amusing how Kara blushed at Rosa’s affection. “I told her it wasn’t necessary, but it’s kinda hard to say no to breakfast food.” Supergirl said, blushing a little harder. “B-Besides, I thought our little friend might enjoy some of this yummy food.”

The CEO smiled warmly at Supergirl and then at the child who had been patiently listening to the grown-ups talk. “Well, we talked this morning, and we came up with a very cool name for him.” Lena informed the hero. She knelt down next to the boy and asked with an encouraging tone, “Do you want to tell Supergirl your name?”

He seemed unsure at first, but then -to Lena’s and Kara’s surprise- he walked up to Supergirl and offered his hand, “Hi, I’m Axel.”

The hero gasped, and beamed at the boy; she was incredibly excited to hear him talk. “Hi, Axel! I’m Supergirl!” she said, taking his hand and gently shaking it. “Do you remember me from yesterday?”

The boy nodded yes, but he walked back to Lena, a clear sign that he didn’t want to talk about it.

Lena shared a glance with the hero, both understanding the boy’s reluctance to talk about what had happened the previous night. Clearing her throat, Lena turned her attention to Rosa once more, “Rosa, would you be so kind as to set another place at the table for Axel?”

The woman was clearly confused about the presence of a child in the house, but she didn’t comment on it. “Of course, Miss Luthor.” Rosa nodded at her boss, and excused herself to do what she had been asked.

“Why does she call you Miss Luthor?” Axel asked once Lena had sat him down on the chair next to hers.

“Because that’s my last name.” She replied with a smile.

“Do I have a last name?” It was a simple question, but it made Lena look at Supergirl again. The hero simply smiled, as if she were silently letting Lena know that she had been doing great so far.

“Well,” she started, gaze lingering on Supergirl for another moment before she turned her attention fully to the boy. “You can be a Luthor too if you want.”

“What’s your last name, Supergirl?” Axel asked, wanting to know his options before he settled on a name he liked.

Kara almost choked on her pancakes, “M-My last name?” she let out a little awkward laugh that, for a second, had Lena wondering where she had heard that familiar sound before. “Y-You see, that’s kinda like a secret.”

The boy furrowed his brows, clearly intrigued by this new piece of information. “Why?”

“Because I can’t let anyone know my real name.” The hero explained, but it only caused Axel to get more curious.

“I thought your name was Supergirl.” He said, tilting his head in confusion.

“That’s my superhero name.” Kara replied chirpily.

“What’s a superhero name? Do I have a superhero name too?” Axel prompted, making Lena laugh.

“Sweetheart,” she said, catching his attention. “why don’t you eat some of the food and let Supergirl eat too? I’ll answer all your questions later.” Lena promised, clearly oblivious to the fact that kids around Axel’s age were never out of questions to ask.

They ate peacefully after that, Lena and Supergirl chatting lightly throughout the meal. Once they were done, Kara agreed to keep an eye on Axel so Lena could get ready for the day.

After putting her clothes on and doing her hair and make up, Lena walked back to the living room, only to find Axel laughing his heart out as Supergirl floated around with him, occasionally doing some flips which earned loud squeals from the boy.

“Miss Luthor?” Rosa’s voice broke the spell, making Lena look at her. “These people are here to see the boy.”

Director Henshaw and Agent Danvers walked in behind Rosa, and both gave Supergirl a questioning, and yet amused look.

“I’m glad you’re having such a great time, Supergirl.” The Director said before walking over to Lena. “Miss Luthor,” he greeted, “We would like to speak to the boy.”


	3. There's something so magic about you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a slower chapter, but necessary for the plot :p  
> Please, let me know what you're thinking ^^

“I’m glad you’re having such a great time, Supergirl.” The Director said before walking over to Lena. “Miss Luthor,” he greeted, “We would like to talk to the boy.”

“His name is Axel.” Lena said immediately, earning a curious look from J’onn. However, he didn’t comment on it, instead he just nodded his head.

Lena looked up at Supergirl and gave her a discreet nod to bring Axel down.

Kara smiled at the kid, and let her body slowly float back down. The moment she set him on his feet Axel hid behind the hero.

“Hey,” Lena said softly, going over to Supergirl and kneeling next to her so she could be on the same eye level with the boy. “It’s okay, I’ll be here the entire time. I’m not leaving you alone, okay?” she asked, offering him her hand.

It took a few seconds; Axel’s eyes shifted between Lena and the agents standing a few feet behind her, but eventually he reached out and took her hand, letting Lena guide him to the living room where they all sat down to talk.

“Hi, Axel.” Alex said in calm and warm tone. “You’ve got a pretty cool name.” It was a simple compliment, but it was enough to make him smile. “My name is Alex and if you move the letters a little, you make it into Axel too.”

The boy smiled wider, “That’s what Lena did! But with her brother’s name! Is your full name Alexander too??”

Alex glanced quickly at Lena, but it was enough for the CEO to feel the judgement coming off the agent.

“No, but close.” Alex said, focusing on the boy again. “It’s Alexandra, but I prefer to be called Alex way more.”

“Me too!” the boy agreed.

“So Axel…” Alex started, letting her gaze fall to the ground for a second. She loved her job, but sometimes it required her to do things she hated. 

“Can you tell us who was taking care of you before that bad man took you?”

Axel brought his knees up to his chest, trying to shield himself from all the strangers in the room. He started a little when he felt Kara’s hand on his back, “It’s okay, buddy.” She said softly. “You’re safe here, okay?”

He nodded at her, and after a few seconds he spoke very quietly, “I heard their names sometimes, but there was one lady that everyone had to listen to… But she never came near me…” Axel said, playing with his fingers to avoid looking at anyone. “She just watched me, especially when my tutors were teaching me.”

That piece of information caught everybody’s attention. “You had tutors?” Alex prompted.

“Mhm.” Axel hummed. “They said I was very smart, that they were trying to help me reach my full potential.”

“That explains why a six-year-old talks like an adult.” J’onn remarked, earning a glare from Lena.

“Who was the lady who observed you, Axel? Did you ever hear her name?” Alex asked, wanting confirmation of what all of them were suspecting.

“Lillian.” The boy said, then turned his gaze to Lena, “But most people called her Misses Luthor.”

There was something in the boy’s eyes, something that made Lena shiver, but she didn’t know what it was. And just as quickly as it had appeared, the look was gone and he was back to being just a sweet boy.

Alex sighed, “I guess it’s more than enough to confirm that Axel really came from CADMUS.” J’onn and Supergirl nodded at the statement. “Axel…” Alex bit her lip, not wanting to continue with the questions, but they needed all the information he could share, “Did Ivo ever talk about what he was trying to do to you?”

The boy hugged his knees tighter which made Kara wrap an arm around him, while Lena gently ran her fingers through his hair.

The caresses helped him relax somewhat, “I-I don’t remember much… He usually made me sleep.” Axel said, absentmindedly scratching his arm where the needle marks were. “But he used to talk to himself…about beating death.”

Kara hugged Axel tighter, while Lena held his hand. “That confirms my theory.” The CEO said to Hank and Alex.

“It does.” J’onn said, standing up so he could pace around a little. “We need to find Ivo as soon as possible. Agent Danvers,” J’onn nodded his head towards the door, “I think we’ve got everything we wanted to know for now.” 

Alex stood up and walked over to Axel, kneeling down in front of him. “How are you feeling? Is anything hurting?” she asked softly; as someone who had gone to med school, Alex felt the need to check up on him, especially because he was just a little kid.

Axel gave Alex a shy little smile, “I’m okay.”

The agent smiled back at him, “If you feel anything, tell Lena and she’ll get me, okay?” Axel nodded, and Alex got up to follow J’onn out of the house.

When they were gone, Lena turned to Supergirl, “Do you have to go too? I was thinking of taking Axel out shopping, he needs new clothes, and I bet he’d be happy if you’d join us.”

Axel had never gone clothes shopping before, but he liked Supergirl and he wanted her to be with them. “Yes! Please, come with us!!” the boy begged, kneeling on the couch, leaning over Kara.

The hero chuckled, and lifted him up with ease. “I’d love to, but-” she settled him on her lap, and turned her attention to Lena, “But I don’t think I should be seen hanging out with the two of you. Axel is already in too much danger as it is, I don’t want anyone getting any ideas of attacking either of you to get to me.”

Lena understood what Supergirl was saying, and the look in her eyes was enough to let Lena know she wanted to go, but she simply couldn’t.

“M-Maybe you could call Kara Danvers,” Supergirl suggested, trying to sound nonchalant. “From what her sister has mentioned, she’s good with kids too.”

Lena smiled brightly at the idea, “Well, if you are sure you can’t come along, then I’ll call Kara.” The CEO started to reach for her phone, when Supergirl jumped up from the couch, setting Axel down on his feet.

“Wait!” She said, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. “I-I mean, I just remembered I have to go so let me just say bye to you guys, then you can call her.” Kara hoped to god she hadn’t sounded too obvious.

“Sure…” Lena squinted her eyes, finding the sudden outburst a little suspicious, but then she just shrugged, casting the thought aside. 

“Please, don’t go!” Axel begged, hugging Kara’s waist.

The hero smiled at him, and picked him up. “I’ll see you soon, buddy. I promise. But now I have to go keep the city safe for all the other little kids out there, okay?”

Axel wouldn’t let go until Lena tickled him to distract him. She started talking to him about clothes and toys which was enough to catch his attention.   
Mouthing a ‘thank you’ to Lena, Supergirl waved goodbye to her friend and flew back to her apartment. A minute later her phone rang, “Hi, Lena! How are you?”

The CEO greeted her, and briefly explained who Axel was and how he had come to be in her care. “Would you like to accompany us this afternoon? I need to get him new, well, new everything.” Lena chuckled.

“Yes! I’d love to.” Kara replied, really looking forward to spending more time with both of them.

On her lunch break, Kara met Lena and Axel on a plaza close to L-Corp. The plaza had some of the most expensive stores in town, including a boutique with designer clothes for kids. When they stopped in front of the store, Kara literally gasped, “Lena! You know he’ll probably grow out of his clothes in like, three months, right?”

Lena chuckled and nodded, “I know, but-” she gave Axel a quick glance, then looked back at Kara, “I just want him to have the best...”

Kara couldn’t argue with that, she knew money wasn’t an issue for Lena, and she could see how much it meant for her to make Axel feel welcome and appreciated.

Lena started making her way inside the door, but when Kara made to follow her, she was halted by Axel holding her hand. She smiled at him, and knelt to be on his eye-level, “What’s up, little man?”

Axel looked a little confused, brows furrowed, “I thought you said you couldn’t come with us, and why does Lena keep calling you Kara? I thought your name was Supergirl.”


End file.
